Eco Speaking: Talking Environmentalism in Baltimore

I was in Baltimore on Thursday to give a lazy environmental talk to the young professional members of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore hosted by Bluehouse, a very hip, green home furnishings and furniture retailer. Among those in attendance was Jakir Manela, environmental director and resident organic farmer (along with his wife) at Kayam at Pearlstone, a retreat center just outside of Baltimore. Unbeknownst to me, the Talmud evidently has lots to say about organic farming, and Jakir is planting this season’s crops according to its ancient precepts. To my way of thinking, we’re treading on new cultural territory when religion and environmentalism are suddenly marching in step with current cool trends reverberating throughout society about going local and eating organic. All the cool kids are doing it, so what’s up with that? Might it mean that the more we shop and consume according to our most deeply held values about society, the environment, and community, the more we are raising our consciousness and walking the spiritual path? If that path is defined by the ability to consistently align our daily behavior and actions with our most deeply held values, then perhaps adopting green consumption patterns might be considered a core contemporary tenet of the modern path to spiritual enlightenment? If so, then perhaps those who call green consumerism an oxymoron might wish to reconsider their positions. Hmm…

Here’s a quick of recap of some of the websites and companies I highlighted during my presentation on Thursday. You could sum up my central themes as: 1) going green can easily fit into and improve our lazy/busy/overscheduled lifestyles; 2) sure going green is better for the planet, but it’s so much better for people too; 3) contrary to conventional wisdom, greening the economy creates more opportunities than costs.

Aqus Toilet System – why bother to turn off the tap water when you’re brushing your teeth when you can just as easily use that water to flush the toilet?

Green Dimes – alleviate the hassle of receiving junk mail in your home and reduce the amount of trees that get chopped and turned into junk.

Green Power Partnership – get your home running on clean, green energy thanks to over 600 power utilities in 36 states offer green energy options to homeowners. Signing up is often as easy as checking a box.

MyBoneyard.com – instead of throwing out your electronics get paid to recycle them.

GreenPhone.com – Americans collectively are keeping billions of used cell phones in their desk drawers. Get paid to recycle them.

RecycleBank – The win-win-win of recycling companies. Local governments save taxpayer money, citizens get paid to recycle, and the landfill is diverted.

Swango – next-generation “reuse” models look something like this. Swap your fashion duds with others on this site to update your wardrobe without having to consume new products.

SwapIt – swap your DVD’s, books, and CD’s (if you miraculously still own some) with others on the site to refresh your collection without having to buy new consumer products.

The Freecycle Network – the ultimate global organization operating locally in thousands of communities under the principle that “giving” feels good. One employee, 10,000 volunteers, over 4 million members and 70,000 more joining every week. There’s magic in the creation of the global gifting economy.

Zipcar – the current MacDaddy of char sharing services in the U.S.

WeCar – soon to be riding hard on Zipcar’s heals, it’s the new car sharing program from Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

GoLoco.org – forget car sharing, try ride sharing especially with a site built on the Facebook social networking platform.

Green Works – cleaning giant Clorox’s foray into natural cleaning products. Effective, available everywhere and reasonably priced.

FilterForGood.com – Brita’s campaign to reduce bottle water waste. Getting the word out in innovative ways including its partnership with hit show My Biggest Loser.

Home Depot – its Eco Options programs puts over 2,000 green labeled products on its shelves nationwide using credible certifications such as FSC, Energy Star and GreenGuard.

JC Penney – introducing a new, affordably priced line green furnishings line later this Spring in partnership with green lifestyle guru Danny Seo.

Wal-Mart – the masters of high-volume, cost reducing strategies sold more than 140 million compact fluorescent light bulbs in 2007 by making them affordable and accessible.

Arabia Mountain High School - Dekalb, GA is soon to be home to a brand new school built to green standards. Studies show that students who learn in green buildings perform 20% better than students who attend conventional schools. To give your kids every opportunity to succeed find a school for them that respects the planet.

Toledo, Ohio – the rust belt is turning into the green belt as solar jobs start moving in to utilize local expertise in glass manufacturing to create next-generation thin-film solar panels.

The Hills of Pennsylvania – former steel territory is being transformed into a 21st century hub for wind power manufacturing. That means union jobs with good pay, good benefits, good long-term prospects. Welcome to the green economy.

-- Josh